Greetings from India! The Sock Review takes a journey East to a colorful and cultural land...and of course, goes looking for socks!

My journey begins in Mumbai, or as the locals call it, Bombay - with such interesting sights and sounds to soak in. I might add that the weather is slightly more pleasant than I was experiencing just before I left Colorado (snow, snow and more snow.) Here, I am greeted with sunshine and a "t-shirt-and-flip-flops" kind of morning, afternoon and only just a slightly chilly evening. So I am told it is "winter" over here as well.

Once I was settled in Mumbai, staying with some good friends of mine, I traveled a little bit West in India to find myself in Kutch; a collection of villages that were hosting a variety of events. It was during a day trip outside of some of these villages that I was able to do a little shopping in Mandvi (a stall from this market, pictured above). I was pleased to find some hanging socks, socks stacked one upon the other, and some offered up for sale in handmade baskets.

While India and its inhabitants claim that socks aren't as trendy of an item here (although I very much hope that changes in the future), I found quite a few interesting silhouettes that are not as popular back in the U.S. One example were what was referred to as "thumb socks" or what the Japenese refer to as tabbi socks. These are socks created with one structured space for the large toe, so that they can be worn with sandals. It was fun just looking at the variety. Socks are especially inexpensive in the markets; about Rs 20 (20 Rupees or about .30 cents if I've done my conversion correctly.)

What's next for my adventure? I think a trip to a palace of some sort is in order...Check back soon for my next post! ;)